The Lord Jesus Christ came
into this world for the purpose of fulfilling all righteousness as the
Representative of God's elect. And he did it! He brought in, established and
finished the work of righteousness for all his people by his obedience to the
Father as our Federal Head.

It is this righteousness,
the righteousness of God in Christ, that is proclaimed to sinners in the
preaching of the gospel (Rom. 3:24-28). Until the righteousness of God, which
was accomplished by the faithful obedience of Christ, is plainly declared, the
gospel has not been preached. And any gospel that offers sinners any other
grounds of righteousness, other than that which Christ has accomplished, is a
false gospel. It is this righteousness, accomplished by Christ, which is
imputed to us for justification and acceptance with God. The Word of God speaks
of a threefold imputation.

1. ADAM'S SIN HAS BEEN IMPUTED TO ALL MEN (Rom. 5:12, 18, 19). By
God's appointment, Adam was the head and representative of all men. When he
sinned, we all became sinners by imputation. God laid the charge and guilt of
Adam's sin upon us. We became sinners, not by what we do, but by what Adam, our
representative, did.

2. ALL THE SINS OF GOD'S ELECT WERE IMUTED TO
CHRIST ON THE CROSS (Isa. 53:6, 8). Our Lord Jesus never committed any act of sin. But he
was made to be sin as our Substitute, by our sins being charged to his account.
Once he was made to be sin, he had to suffer the just consequences of sin. He
died under the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13).

3. AND THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST IS IMPUTED TO
EVERY BELIEVER
(Rom. 3:23-24; II Cor. 5:21; Rom. 5:19). We are not made righteous by something
we do, any more than Christ was made to be a sinner by something he did.
Christ's obedience has been charged to the account of all God's elect, those
represented by him, those for whom he lived and died, those who trust him. God
looks upon us in Christ as men and women who are perfectly righteous. He
reckons us to be righteous in his sight. And he shall reward us with the just
consequence of perfect righteousness: ETERNAL
LIFE!